NOTE: A Request for Out-of-State Travel must be completed and approved before travel purchase orders are requested and out-of-state travel takes place. Employees or students traveling without approval, are not reimbursed for expenses incurred during travel.

AIR TRAVEL PURCHASE ORDER PROCEDURE

At least two (2) months before the travel date, the traveler should request out-of-state travel approval. To obtain an estimate of airfare, an inquiry call should be placed to a travel agency or airline. Please be aware that airline ticket prices are cheaper further from the date of departure, so estimates should be received and inflated for the Request for Out-of-State Travel Approval. When tickets are ordered (with an approved purchase order) thirty days before departure, the actual ticket prices may be as much as three (3) times larger than the estimate.

AL-BO is listed on the College's vendor file as vendor number 05326 and can be contacted at (256) 891-0888. AL-BO will notify the traveler immediately should the ticket price change after receiving a quote. (AL-BO is the only travel agency that will accept a purchase order and payment after the flight is complete.) AL-BO requires payment within 30 days from the purchase order approval date.

Once the approved Request for Out-of-State Travel is received, a purchase requisition can be entered by the Budget Manager. The following steps should be followed:

The traveler should once again call the travel agency or airline for current ticket prices to be used on the request for a purchase order. The vendor should NOT print tickets until they receive an approved purchase order.

The traveler forwards the approved Request for Out-of-State Travel to the Purchasing Office.

The Budget Manager can enter a request for a purchase order on the computer system. The following information is to be included on the requisition:

person's name(s) taking the flight

time & date of the flight and return flight

flight numbers

the price of the flight

When the purchase order is printed (generally the day after the purchase requisition is entered), the Purchasing Agent confirms the approved Request for Out-of-State Travel has been received. The Purchasing Agent may then approve the purchase order.

The Budget Manager faxes the white copy of the purchase order to the travel agency or airline. Once the travel agency or airline receives the approved purchase order, they can print the airline tickets.

The vendor will generate the tickets and deliver them to the Purchasing Office with an original invoice.

Approximately two (2) days before the travel date, the traveler can pick up the tickets in the Purchasing Office.

If the airline tickets are approved to be pre-paid, the Budget Manager can submit the invoice for airfare, the purchase order and copy of the Request for Out-of-State Travel to the Accounts Payable Office for pre-payment. Upon the traveler's return from the trip, the traveler is to forward to the Accounts Payable Office a boarding pass showing flight information or some document showing the flight did take place.

If the airline tickets are to be paid after the travel takes place, the traveler forwards the boarding pass showing flight information to the Budget Manager when the traveler returns from the trip. The Budget Manager forwards the signed yellow copy of the purchase order, the boarding pass, the original invoice, the itinerary and a copy of the approved Request for Out-of-State Travel to the Accounts Payable Office for payment. This should be done as soon as possible after the traveler returns from the trip.